


People Change

by JulesWriter



Series: Everyone's A Bit Broken [1]
Category: Escape the Night (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Lazarus - Freeform, M/M, Matt’s evil, Resurrection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2020-11-27 11:57:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20947955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JulesWriter/pseuds/JulesWriter
Summary: Matt wasn’t the same.But that was to be expected, wasn’t it?





	1. Rising

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Lazarus](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15416034) by [crazygreatwords (SamWithACrown)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamWithACrown/pseuds/crazygreatwords). 

Matt wasn’t the same.

Of course, this was a perfectly logical observation, seeing as the man had just _died_ and been brought back only an hour later. At least, Ro thought that was the case. He was certainly not as obviously helpful as he had been before he died, and far more sensitive to offhand comments about death in general, but that was completely understandable. Offering her help and emotional support was probably the best way to go about helping him through it. Even as Safiya and Manny fell to the Funhouse and the witches, she kept her arm around her dearest friend and pressed onward, firmly ignoring the fact that one more person had to die for the other three’s freedom.

She knew she was just in denial, though. Matt wasn’t just less helpful, he was barely _there_ at all, which was strange, considering his sharp wit and usually warm presence. His death had left him distant and cold, unwilling to fight for the lives of the others around him. And what she had interpreted as ‘sensitivity’ when it came to death was really just an unnatural glint in his oddly hazy eyes, and a morbid amount of carefully hidden glee whenever someone fell victim to the cursed town of Everlock.

Frankly, it was terrifying. And Ro couldn’t stand keeping her fears to herself. So she approached Nikita, stony and silent in the corner of the Divine Lounge. It really wasn’t hard to tell she was grieving for her best friend. Rosanna felt a bitter pang in her chest as she remembered Manny, the kind and absolutely wonderful person she had had to watch die in front of her very eyes. But at least his death had restored Maria’s stolen youth; some good had come from all the losses of the night.

“Ro, I love you, but I really don’t need therapy, not when one more person has to fucking _die_ here tonight,” Nikita snapped, arms crossed in front of her chest. Her makeup was half ruined by her tears from earlier, though her outfit and wig were immaculate and beautiful all the same. _Still going strong_, it seemed to say. _I’m not dying just yet._

“That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about,” Ro replied, standing as tall as she could. “It’s… about Matt.”

“What about him?”

“He’s acting… off. I’m really not sure about what I’m saying right now, but have you noticed he’s really distant from the rest of us whenever we’re solving puzzles? He barely even tries at all! And it’s actually really creepy whenever he sees someone die in front of him—”

“What?” Nikita frowned. “What do you mean, creepy?”

“He pays a lot of attention. And I mean, a _lot_. The bloodier the death is, the more interested he seems to be. When Safiya died, he wasn’t scared or all that upset, he seemed fascinated. He was staring at the blood and stuff for quite a bit of time before he almost seemed to _realise_ he was supposed to be upset, and ended up having that fight with you…”

“Okay, I’ll be honest here— I thought the entire fight was just a shitty attempt to let off some steam. I know he had every right to get pissed at me, but he was saying stuff that just sounded fake. I’m pretty sure MatPat doesn’t go off the rails that easily, and he’s probably the type of person to think about what he’s mad about before he says it, am I right?”

“Yeah, actually,” Ro nodded, seeing some sense in what the Troublemaker was saying. “When he gets mad, he thinks about his arguments and goes about everything logically. He’s one of the most rational people I know. And he doesn’t back down if he thinks he’s right, I know that. It’s caused a few controversies before.”

“Bitch, that’s _weird_,” the beauty guru said, deep in thought. Her eyes suddenly narrowed, zeroing in on the Detective, who was sitting with his back to the girls, staring blankly at the ceiling. “Ro, you are aware of the note we found after the Funhouse shit went down, right?”

“‘_Carnival Master corrupted one of you_.’” Ro recited, suddenly realising what Nikita was implying. “Oh my god, Matt isn’t the evil one, he can’t be, he’s just recovering, right?” She laughed nervously, but inside she could feel her world crashing down around her. So many had died over the course of the night, and she was lucky enough to get her best friend back, only for him to possibly be the one working against them the whole time?

“Only one way to find out,” Nikita scowled, shoving past the little Jet Setter and making a beeline for Matt. Joey, on the couch opposite the <strike>_monster_</strike> theorist, yelped and scrambled to the side, afraid to become the subject of Nikita’s sudden rage. Matt turned, hazel eyes glossy with the dazed look Rosanna had come to hate ever since his return. She stayed silent, staring as Nikita grabbed Matt by the collar, eyes alight with anger. The <strike>_traitor_</strike> older man stared for a second before morphing his expression into nervous shock, but Ro could only see lies, lies, **lies** beneath those yellow glasses.

“Nikita? What’s up?” He asked anxiously, awkwardly running a hand through his hair, but it seemed forced, an imitation of the man whose skin the creature was wearing. “We’re trying to figure out the final artifact, I don’t think we need to fight right now…”

“_We?_ You’ve barely done anything to save our asses since you got back! You’ve done nothing but act fucking creepy whenever one of your friends dies! You hear me, bitch? You’re working with the evil, you’re the damn traitor!” Nikita was getting more riled up by the second, Calliope and Mortimer clearly restraining themselves from rushing in and breaking up the currently one-sided fight.

“No, no, no! What’s going on?” ‘Matt’ was clearly irritated, his empty gaze landing on Ro. “I can't be evil, right Ro? I'm your best friend, you know that I would never betray you, I wouldn't!”

All of a sudden, everyone's eyes were on her, causing her to shrink back slightly. Nikita was fury incarnate, telling her to affirm everything she had said earlier. Joey, Mortimer and Calliope were confused, questioning the case Nikita had laid before them and hoping Ro would be the determining factor. But Matt, _Matt_ was the most terrifying one of all, _threatening_ her beneath the thin veil of shock, pushing her to tell everyone that he was fine, that he was still Matthew Patrick even though he was everything but. The MatPat she knew from a few hours ago would never have done so, not in a million years. And in that moment, the denial evaporated, and all she saw before her was a demon, a vile creature who had killed her friends and would likely kill one more.

“That’s a lie,” she murmured softly. “You’re not Matt. You’ll never be Matt because you’re just a monster under the Carnival Master’s control, aren’t you? You’re the final Artifact Guardian.”

‘Matt’ opened his mouth as if to rebuke her, but decided against it, finally lowering his apathetic gaze and dropping the facade. He sagged in Nikita’s loosened grip, sitting down on the couch with his head down.

“About time,” the creature laughed, slowly looking up and staring at the others. Joey gave an audible gasp as Matt— no, _Lazarus_ rose and tapped the harp on the table, causing it to turn an ugly faded black, before grinning at Ro and vanishing into the air with the sound of beating wings. But everyone knew that they would never forget what they had just seen.

Matt’s eyes had been glowing red.

Red like blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first ETN fanfic yay 
> 
> We’ll see how this goes, but I honestly apologise for the overuse of italics and my generally bad writing
> 
> Also: The plot twist stays the same because people need a chance to rant. Also Manny dies in place of Ro to the witches. Lucy and the Demon Dog don’t exist, which I’m pretty okay with.


	2. Alive

As soon as Matt **(that bitch—)** was gone, the room exploded into chaos, or at least the closest it could get to chaos with only five people. Ro burst into tears as soon as he was gone, Joey desperately trying to comfort her despite looking to be in a similar state himself. Calliope was more emotional than most of the remaining group had seen her before, due to clearly having a soft spot for the former Detective, Mortimer fruitlessly attempting to calm her down.

Nikita stared stonily at the spot where Matt **(was it 'Lazarus' now? Stupid ass name, really)** had vanished, pushing whatever emotion was trying to surface down to the very depths of her mind. She didn't have time for crying **(she's done enough of that earlier) **or getting angry at Matt's betrayal **(even though she was)**. Grabbing the map on the table, she examined it, finding a new small building on the map, labeled _The Music Room_, right next to the cemetery. Of course.

Mortimer had noticed the new building as well, beckoning the others, who were slowly recovering from their shock, over to the map. As their clue appeared, Joey let out a curse and stepped back, burying his head in a cushion and yelling into it. Ro’s eyes started welling up with tears again, and Nikita simply sighed as she read it out loud. It was one of the creepiest clues yet, and  _ god  _ she hated it.

  
  


_ O̶̤̼̞̗̽̉N̸̹̪̝͑̃͗͜E̴̠̓̓͊ ̶̤͓͚͉͑͠M̶̪̃́̈́̃Ǘ̶͕Ș̷̨̲̬̠̓̃͐͝Ť̵͙͙̓̈́͌̚ ̶̣̾̃̀͌̾D̴̨̥̥̐̽͌̚I̵̢̪͊̈E̴̥̖͌̇̔ ̸̟͇͎̜̀̈́̉͗̅T̵̺̓Ō̸͖͙̿͌̇̄ͅ ̵̡̮̖̮̅̈͒ͅC̷̥͚̏͂L̷̡̰̂À̵̡̖͈͠Ǐ̵̖̘̩͖͂͑͌̾M̷̧̲͌̆ ̵̘̔͂́̊̑Ť̴̢̤̘̮̼Ĥ̸̢̡̞̌́ͅE̵̡̺̎͐͜ ̸̢̟̮͗͜ͅB̵̻͚̄L̴̡̙͓̀͊͒̐Ö̴̭́͆̅̎͗O̵̱͇̒͆͑Ḑ̶̙̭͕͊ ̷̛͕̟̝͉̘̊͌Ö̷̟̤̞F̵͔̰̪̹̌ ̴̧̰͚̃̍͗͒T̷͈̟͙̤̺̂Ḧ̴̨̺̮̤̼́͆E̷̖̦̼̭͌̒͗ ̸̣̰͍̾̑̽̀A̷̙͚̐͘Ņ̷͉̍G̵̪͇̰͕̈́E̶͙̎̽L̴͔͂ _

_ _

Calliope picked up the corrupted Harp, frowning and carefully touching the strings, only for the one in the center to snap completely. She quickly examined the rest of the Harp, finding nothing else out of the ordinary other than its blackened colour.

** **

** ** "So… we have to go to the Music Room?" Ro asked, sniffling, and Nikita resisted the urge to go over and give her a hug.  **(No time for emotions.)** "Let's hurry--"

Matt burst through the wall of the Divine Lounge, eyes glowing red and huge black wings spread wide open behind him, laughing maniacally as everyone screamed and bolted for the door. Nikita hugged the Harp close to her, cursing all the way and hoping she had only been hallucinating when she had heard Manny call out to her from behind the monstrous angel.

***

They didn't stop sprinting until they arrived at the Music Room, Mortimer flinging the door to the small building open and ushering everyone in. Nikita cringed at the loud creaking of the ink-stained floorboards underneath her heels, looking around the room.  **(The yellow lighting worked wonders for the horror aesthetic, but it was still ugly as ** ** _fuck_ ** **.) ** True to its name, the Music Room contained a large piano, a guitar, a stand with some scores and what seemed like a music box on a shelf. But that wasn't all-- there was a weird bear thing propped against the wall, dull and unmoving  **(thank god)** . She also noticed a Mario figurine next to the music box, and a chest with what was probably a fantasy symbol on it. On the ground was a logo, drawn in what she genuinely hoped was just red paint: an upside-down trophy in a circle that split the room into four areas.

"Wait… isn't that the Chaos Theory thing Matt wanted to use for his ARG?" Ro said, staring at the logo on the ground. "He showed it to me once. He seemed so excited about it…" Just as she finished her sentence, the shelf with the music box and the Mario figurine crashed down onto the floor with a loud bang, causing everyone to scream again.

"There's… there's a note," Joey gasped, running forward and picking it up, reading the clue aloud. " _ In life, I was a person who loved to investigate the hidden clues in games, but my most famous series was the one I hated the most. Just leave it in the corner by the instrument that holds the first of your four keys. _ "

"His most famous series… the FNaF theories! It's the animatronic, we have to find the key!" Ro rushed toward the piano, Joey and Mortimer hurriedly grabbing the bear animatronic.  **(Damn creepy -- she respected MatPat for having to deal with those things in games.) ** Nikita headed to the guitar, reaching into the hole in the center and feeling around, grinning as she pulled out a dull golden key with their next clue tied to it.

"Found it, bitches," she said triumphantly, moving over to help the two boys place the Freddy animatronic in the guitar quarter of the circle.  **(His most famous series was the one he hated the most-- shit, that was really sad.) **

" _ While my theories on this game have caused more than enough controversy, I still find it in myself to be proud of my work. Perhaps that, and my love for performance, is why people have called me self-absorbed and proud. _ "

"Well no offense to Matt, but he's caused so much controversy at this point I'm really not sure which one he's talking about," Joey frowned, and Nikita recalled seeing a lot of shit go down on Twitter  **(so much hate, holy crap)** . "It's mostly for Mario and Undertale, I think?"

"Yeah, Mario especially because of the psychopath thing," Ro confirmed. "Oh, is it the Mario figurine? But where do we have to put it?"

"A love for performance… Matt was a theater nerd, wasn't he? But I don't think he plays piano or guitar…?"

"He sings! He was in choir and musical theater, right? That's gotta be it!" Joey yelled, grabbing the Mario figure off the floor and placing it next to the score sheet stand. A secret compartment in the stand popped open, and the Savant snatched their second key; a shining red one with their third clue wrapped around it. But as the others headed over to read the note, Nikita couldn't help but wonder;  **Why was the challenge so easy, and why was so much of it about MatPat and who he used to be?**

Forget it. They were in a game of death, and she wasn't going to be in the list of victims just because she thought too much about what was in front of her. 

That was what got Matt killed, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this took a very different turn. I’ll admit I’m not good at planning challenges and stuff so please forgive me for that! Anyway I promise major angst later on


	3. Monster

Joey carefully took the note off the key, unrolling the piece of paper. To his surprise, the clue was sheet music for a song called You Will Believe. _(Believe? Hah. He had betrayed and been betrayed by his friends over and over again; what could be trusted anymore?)_ Having had a bit of experience playing around with soundtracks and song covers, he was able to read and understand most of the music, assuming it was the chorus of the song.

**It’s time to believe in what you can’t see**

** It’s time to believe there’s a deep dark truth **

** It’s time to believe that old Joey drew a monster** —

He stopped singing, staring down at the music in horror. Why was he mentioned in the song?  _ (Matt’s right, though. You’re a monster, you got him killed—)  _

"Joey? Are you sure you read that right?" Mortimer said, grabbing the score and frowning down at the lyrics.

"Yeah, apparently… but I  _ drew _ a monster? Everyone knows perfectly well I only know how to draw stickmen…" He laughed softly, trying to lighten the mood, but inside he was panicking more than he had done in a very long time. He remembered a mansion and a Sorceress, and a girl in a sun-coloured gown who never had a chance to know the truth.  _ (Lauren, forgive me.) _

"No, Joey, I don't think this is about you," Ro said, having taken the score sheet from Mortimer. Joey's eyes widened, relief washing over him instantly.  _ (Are you helping me here, Justine?) _

"Shocker," Nikita muttered, Joey unconsciously shooting her a look of exasperation.

"See here? It mentions a 'fallen workshop'. Unless you had experiences with any sort of workshop before you died, Joey, I think this has something to do with another video game…"

"A workshop? What kind of game has a damn workshop?" Joey pointedly ignored the reminder of his traumatic death and tapped his foot, staring down at the ink-splattered wooden floor. All of a sudden, he remembered seeing a theory on a game featuring an animation workshop from the 1930s, and he understood.

"Bendy and The Ink Machine! Joey Drew Studios, that's it!" He cried, happy to see everyone nod in agreement.  _ (So they don't think I'm crazy, GloZell?) _

"You mean this?" Calliope asked gently, passing Nikita the music box that had fallen off the shelf earlier. "I hardly believe the symbol on the chest could represent a studio." Everyone crowded around the wooden box, both Joey and Ro instantly recognizing three film reels in a line with an old-fashioned plaque in front of it, thought the words had been scratched out by what seemed like a knife.  _ (So many of you died to knives, but right now I remember you especially, JC.) _

"Yeah, I think that's it," Nikita said, winding up the music box. "Let's see what this bitch does." The box popped open, revealing a weird devil creature that Joey knew was the titular Bendy, and the song from the score started playing, filling the Room with its eerie tune.

"Alright, creepy-ass music aside, this cartoon's holding a sign," the Troublemaker pointed out. " _ Courage need not be remembered. _ " Joey saw Ro shudder at the little demon figurine, and he understood completely; Bendy didn't look like the one he had seen in thumbnails and fanart; it had tiny pupils, wide staring eyes, a smile that was larger than what was probably normal and a thin trail of ink dripping from its left eye.  _ (Sierra, do you know what the demon you tried to exorcise looked like?) _

"Oh, there are words on the back of Bendy too!" Ro exclaimed. "_For it is never forgotten._" As soon as she finished the sentence, a drawer in the messy desk at the back of the room shot open, sending the score sheets and pens on the desk clattering to the ground. _(Ro's a good finder… you'd like her a lot, Liza.)_ Joey cringed at the moldy pink cupcake on the floor, stepping past it and retrieving a black and white key with the smiling face of the normal Bendy cartoon on it. Nikita took the note from the drawer, unfolding it and sighing.

" _ I think you know where to look. _ "

Joey walked over to the grand piano, lifting up the dusty cover and reaching inside, finding a faintly glowing green key. Calliope placed the Bendy key on the music box while Nikita and Mortimer moved the chest to the piano. Breathing softly from clear nervousness, Ro knelt down and unlocked the chest, Joey finally recognizing the symbol as that of the Legend of Zelda series. 

The Chaos Theory logo on the floor began to glow with red light, illuminating all the clues they had placed around the room. A hole opened up in the center as a very familiar box and table rose up to greet the final contestants. A note laid by the three stacks of tarot cards. 

" _ I'd suggest you vote for yourselves. There's no point in betraying each other anymore. Right,  _ ** _Joey_ ** _ ?" _

"...I guess we vote then?" Ro asked, sniffling softly. She stepped forward, picking up one of her cards and handing it to Calliope, who took it with clear sadness in her expression. Nikita and Joey both followed, handing the cards over to the gypsy.  _ (Who knows if I'll be the unlucky one this time?) _

Calliope drew the first card, frowning in confusion before she blanched, slowly placing the card on the table. Everyone gathered around to read the newfound words, fearful of Lazarus' message.  _ (Or was it the Carnival Master?) _

_ "There's no justice here. You're  _ ** _all _ ** _ going in. Meet me in the cemetery for the final sacrifice." _

Ro burst into tears again, covering her mouth as Joey sighed softly, looking up at the ceiling, only to fall backward in open-mouthed horror. The others looked up, puzzled, and seemed to see nothing. But Joey knew what was coming.  _ (I'm getting my punishment now. Are you happy, Eva?) _

He had seen the glowing red names of each and every one of his fallen friends, scrawled into the wood in his own handwriting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hah sorry for the hiatus I hate school
> 
> And yes, You Will Believe is a BATIM fan song by Komodo Chords. Listen to the original, it's underrated and really good.
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! And as you can see, I have a series planned...


	4. Take Aim

To be honest, Mortimer was terrified.

Over the course of one seemingly endless night, he had witnessed the death of his mother  **(Agh, he really shouldn't think about that anymore)** , ran from a bunch of different monsters, watched seven people die to said monsters, and had had to run from one of those people who had died, been resurrected and turned into a monster-angel.

Yeah, he was pretty messed up. Fiddling nervously with his jacket as he and Calliope lead the three YouTubers to their former friend and possible demise, he certainly wasn't looking forward to watching another innocent person die, to their friend no less… Matthew Patrick had been a peculiar person, but endearing all the same, and Mortimer did really like him. Calliope did too, and it was really no surprise when she and Rosanna had been a bit… emotional.

Shuddering as they walked past the demonic church  **(Hell of an oxymoron)** , they walked into the cemetery; and there was the former Detective, eyes glowing red and smirking as they arrived.

Lazarus was still in the outfit he had worn all night, except now half his head was covered in blood, a stark reminder of his death. Six black wings, sprouting from his back, flapped in the breeze as the monster leaned against the wall of a large mausoleum. Orange sparks flew from his hands, giving him an eerie glow in the darkness of the cemetery.

"Helloooo!" Lazarus cried happily, grinning like a maniac as he teleported in front of the group and clapped Rosanna on the back, making her flinch. "So glad you're  _ finally _ here! Step right in!" He laughed, moving aside and gesturing to the three YouTubers, who hesitantly entered. Then he turned to the two assistants.

"Well of  _ course _ I won't be making you all stand outside all bored and the like! So…" He snapped his fingers, and suddenly Mortimer and Calliope were back at the desk in the Music Room, except they could see different images in the screens before them. The YouTubers came into view on one, and Mortimer instantly realized that they would be spectating the challenge… and the death of one of their friends. From the look on Calliope's face, she clearly recognized the fact as well. Groaning and rubbing at his face with his hands, he stared up at the screens as the challenge began.  **(Please don't let it be too gruesome.)**

"Alright,  _ alright _ !" Lazarus' cheerful voice rang through the Room, and the three YouTubers looked up, startled. "In front of you are three paths. Don't worry, they won't kill you just yet… take a shot!" Rosanna looked up at Joey and Nikita, before steeling herself and slowly walking down the center path, leading into another screen. Nikita took the right path, while Joey took the left.

"Good, good! I appreciate the cooperation. Now, in front of you are seven signs, each with the picture of one of your precious artifacts. Arrange them in order of when you cleansed them, and you get to move on… you'll want to hurry up, because the one who ends up last is gonna have to pay  _ very _ dearly." The monster dissolved into laughter again, and the three hurried to arrange their signs, Joey and Rosanna clearly reeling from the traumatic memories of their friends' deaths. Nikita, however, pushed forward, finishing her arrangement and running down the corridor. The other two quickly finished as well, sprinting down their respective paths.  **(Please, God, not Rosanna.)**

"That was a bit  _ too  _ easy," Lazarus mused. "How about a good ol' test of blood?" Mortimer and Calliope both flinched from the reminder of Colleen's painful death  **(The poor girl)** ; clearly, the three in the challenge felt the same, flinching and fidgeting nervously.

"Nah, it's not going to involve spilling your own blood-- that's not really family-friendly, you know? But you've got a nice little bowl of the stuff in front of you, so why not paint those symbols on the picture there? Make sure you get them right!" The monster signed off, and the three began to work on the challenge. Lazarus, being the absolute asshole he was, had turned on sound for the two assistants as well.  **(He could not be more grateful for just being an assistant.)**

"Oh god, oh god… this is  _ disgusting _ , what the fuck?" Nikita's voice rang out, her face pale as she stuck her hand into the bowl of  **(hopefully not real)** blood, painting on the walls as fast and accurately as possible. Joey was having a similar crisis, cringing at the blood and muttering to himself.  **(Something about praying it wasn't Colleen's blood?)** Ro, surprisingly, was doing extremely well; her baking and decorating experience was certainly coming in handy. 

"Uh oh! Might want to watch the stroke there, Mr. Graceffa!" Joey cursed loudly, rubbing off the stroke with his forearm and redoing it, as Rosanna passed the challenge and ran off, all without making a sound.  **(He truly hoped she would make it, really.)**

"Ohhh… the real fun's just begun!" Lazarus cried as the other two finished their 'artwork' and hurried to finish the challenge. "And just a little fun fact for you all; that blood  _ was  _ indeed real human blood~ though I'll leave the rest to your imagination!" At this, Mortimer slammed his hands on the desk, a curse escaping his lips as his whole body shook.  **(Why was he so angry?)** Calliope stared up at him before gently seating him and hesitantly offering a hug. Mortimer accepted it gratefully, letting out a choked sob before looking back at the screens.

To his surprise, all three YouTubers were staring at something in front of them, shaking but otherwise not moving. In each of their hands was a… gun? The two assistants moved to the next screen, gasping in horror at the sight.

"Well, what are you waiting for?  _ Take your shot! _ " Matt stared at Rosanna, eyes blazing despite his corporeal form. Beside him was a bloodied Safiya, floating slightly as she stared silently at the Jet Setter, who was holding the gun in front of ber and sobbing, stumbling back. "Don't you just want to move on?"

Meanwhile, the lower screen showed Nikita, hands shaking despite her rigid posture. Before her was Manny's scarred spirit, eyes filled with hatred and betrayal. Roi was also there, eerily silent as he gently touched the grisly bite marks on his throat.

Finally, there was Joey, one hand on the wall to steady himself as he stared down the ghost of a  _ very  _ bloody Colleen  **(her face had been mostly spared, thank god) ** and the apparition of a young lady in 1920s attire, face gaunt and seemingly covered in dust. Mortimer noted her bloody fingers, seemingly damaged from… scratching at something?  **(He had a vague guess from a similar case he'd once witnessed, but for Joey's sake he hoped it wasn't true.)**

"Shoot us," Matt, Manny and Colleen spoke up at the same time, voices in creepy unison as Lazarus' sickly orange sparks floated around them. Calliope looked a bit sick, but managed to keep her composure as she watched. " **Move on** ."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't tag the dead guests, mostly because it would be too many spoilers. Major angst coming up.
> 
> TW: Death, blood, people getting triggered


	5. One Must Die

Calliope felt her heart stop for one terrifying second as the spirits appeared on the screens, each one more bloody and gruesome than the last. She didn’t recognise the last girl, but seeing as she was confronting Joey… she had probably been a victim of one of the Cursed God’s games. (Such a shame— she seemed like she would have been a wonderful person to meet.)The girl’s hands were covered in blood, and her spirit seemed to have a layer of dust over it; buried alive, the poor child. Mortimer had noticed the bloodied fingers as well, turning paler and looking sorrowful.

Joey, however, had a significantly different reaction. He _ screamed _ , grasping the wall and holding out his gun. Lazarus had let them hear the YouTubers for this round as well, only adding to the horror of the whole situation. Without a word, the two assistants switched seats, Mortimer watching Nikita's side while Calliope kept an eye on the other two.  (For Matt's sake, let Rosanna live.) 

Ro had her gun firmly trained on Matt's spirit, tears causing her to waver as the Detective laughed. Safiya looked eerily impassionate, staring down at the barrel of the gun with a look of resigned boredom. 

"Oh, _ poor little Rosanna _ . Always needing someone to support her. You're fucking _ weak _ ! Shoot me, you tiny little piece of shit!" Lazarus spoke through Matt, hurling insults at the Jet Setter as she fell to her knees, shaking but grasping the gun as tightly as ever.  (No one deserves this pain.)  "Aww, how sad. I can't wait to hear you _ scream _ !" Matt raised his arm, sickly orange magic coursing through him as he slapped Rosanna across the face, leaving his bloody handprint on her cheek as she sobbed even more. Next to her, Calliope saw Mortimer grin, and leaned over to see Nikita send a bullet through Roi's head, causing the spirit to disappear.  (He's found his peace.) 

Joey, meanwhile, was staring down the 1920s girl, Colleen's spirit nowhere to be found. It seemed he had managed to find it in him to send her away for good; now he had one final demon to confront.  (Bless your bravery, child.) 

"Justine, I'm sorry," the Savant murmured, voice tinged with bitter regret. Calliope knew it well-- she recognized it in her own story too.  (One of two warriors named Jael and Ryu, and an undeserving survivor.)  "Please, forgive me."

"You… you, of all people, expect me to forgive you?" Justine spoke, her voice hoarse. Her eyes swirled with the despair of betrayal and death, hands clutching the ends of her blonde hair. "You let me _ die _ ! You watched them carry me to my death, and all you did was yell a bit-- 'Oh, don't kill her!' 'This is sick!' But did you attempt to stop them? _ No _ ! It's like… it's like **you didn't care** ." There it was; that look of utter pain on Joey's face. A child who had seen too much death and suffering to last a thousand lifetimes, and still tried his best, only to get more taken away from him each time.  (It was heartbreaking.) 

"I'm sorry," and all three YouTubers spoke at the same time, Ro's rising to a scream as she shot Safiya. Nikita and Joey, meanwhile, had defeated their demons; both reeling with shock and crying from trauma, they raced down their corridors and slammed their hands on the glowing crypt at the end. Realizing Ro wasn't there, they both turned in utter horror as the walls separating the three routes crumbled before them, Matt  (no; Lazarus once again)  turning to grin at the survivors, Rosanna  (still with that bloody handprint on her face)  letting out a shaky breath, her eyes betraying her pure fear.

Lazarus shook his head, sighing with utter disappointment.  (The ninth guardian before him, a girl named Lucy? Even she was never this cruel.)  "Such a shame. Poor little Rosanna, so close to the finish line! ** _Too bad_ **," he murmured, right in the Jet Setter's ear. Ro, in her panic, began firing over and over again, but the monster just laughed. "It would've been more useful if you just did that earlier, ya know. Tch, weak little bitch." Nikita gave an outraged gasp, clenching her fists as Joey placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

With one fluid movement, Lazarus whacked the gun out of the desperate girl's hands. Ro backed away from the glowing guardian, who was grinning with pure malice and glee. "So, honey, how would you like to die?" His hands started sparking, lighting up the walls of the mausoleum and the gruesome blood paintings from the second round. Wings burst from his back, blocking Joey and Nikita completely.

Next to her, Calliope heard Mortimer yell in frustration, and she instinctively lifted her hand to grab his arm before he punched the screen to bits. That was when darkness overtook her vision, and she sighed softly, knowing perfectly well what this was; a vision.  (Always two possible stories; always ending in tragedy, always no way to stop it.) 

_ Flashes of death, a body on the ground, a harpstring made from a pure soul. _

_ Two routes. It all comes down to choice. _

_ You need not know who I am. But I am the one who writes the story. _

_ How this one ends is up to you, my friends and audience. Readers, if you will. _

_ Will you choose the path of _ ** _The Angel_ ** , _ or that of _ ** _The Demon_ ** _ ? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The choice is yours.
> 
> Sorry this chapter was a bit shorter than usual; I have a lot ready to happen.
> 
> Please enter your vote in the comments, I'll edit this chapter when I stop taking responses.
> 
> Until then, get ready for even more angst!


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